Former Prison Guard Accused Of Stealing Sick Time Back In Jail In Montgomery County

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) — A former Graterford Prison corrections officer, accused of forging notes from a doctor in order to get additional sick time from the state, was back behind bars Tuesday in Montgomery County after failing to appear for two court appearances.

Authorities had issued a bench warrant for Samantha Sinkler after the 36-year-old woman failed to appear for sentencing in June on two DUI convictions. (see related story.)

She was also a no-show in May for a conference on identity theft, theft and forgery charges.

Prosecutor Noah Marlier says Sinkler was taken into custody late Friday night after a routine traffic stop.

“Officers in Pottstown realized that she didn’t have a valid registration on her car and that she also had a suspended license,” Marlier says. “So she was pulled over, they realized she was wanted.”

A judge revoked her bail. Marlier says the judge was clearly not happy that Sinkler missed her court appearances and failed to show up for court ordered evaluations.

“This gives us an opportunity to make sure we know where she is so that she could be sentenced for the DUIs that she was found guilty on back in February,” says Marlier. “And (it) also gives us an opportunity to talk to her about her open case; the forgery and identity theft.”

Prosecutors claim she stole thousands of dollars in sick time from the state and some sympathetic co-workers who based on the fraudulent letters donated their days off believing she had cancer. (see related story.)

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Brad Segall is midday anchor for KYW Newsradio 1060.
A longtime presence in Philadelphia radio news, Segall served for a decade as KYW Newsradio's suburban bureau chief.
He won the 2006 Associated Press Sandy Starobin Award for Individual...